Ep. 87: David MacEnulty, Renowned Chess Coach Portrayed in the 2005 Film ”Knights of the South Bronx,” on Teaching, Learning, Improving, Tournament Skills, Cheating, & More

David MacEnulty is a legendary chess coach best known for his work with disadvantaged children at Community Elementary School #70 in the South Bronx in New York City. He took them from beginning players to national scholastic champions, an astonishing feat. David was portrayed by famed actor Ted Danson in the 2005 TV-film Knights of the South Bronx which details his experience at CES #70. In this episode, David shares his remarkable story, including some wild cheating incidents his students encountered. He also provides some insight on teaching, learning, developing a "warrior mentality," preparation, and much more. Be on the lookout for David's upcoming book (release date TBD) entitled "Sunrise in the Bronx" where he recounts his experience at CES #70 in vivid detail.

Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
03:50 - Bruce Pandolfini & Teaching
05:00 - Teaching at CES #70
06:33 - David's Background
17:55 - Guiding Principles
31:10 - Cheating Incidents
43:19 - Knights of the South Bronx film
48:45 - Outro
 
📚 Referenced:

• Knights of the South Bronx (YouTube full film)
• Knights of the South Bronx (DVD)
• My System (Nimzovitch)
• 1000 Best Short Games of Chess (Chernev)
• Complete Chess Strategy (Pachman)
• How Not to Play Chess (Znosko-Borovsky)
• Oceana (Ted Danson)

♟Links for David MacEnulty:

• Amazon Author Page
• CBS News Feature
• Think Like a King

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📧 If you have a question or topic idea for a future episode, e-mail us at info@thechessangle.com.

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